


Searching for quiet

by archaeologist_d



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, Modern Era, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 19:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16729230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archaeologist_d/pseuds/archaeologist_d
Summary: Arthur is not adjusting to modern life all that well.





	Searching for quiet

Arthur never really got used to modern life. The constant noise, planes whining overhead, the cacophony of car tires skidding down the street, cell phones ringing, and in the distance, the wail of a siren, were enough to drive him mad. 

Even in the flat, there was the irritating tick-tock of a grandfather clock, the constant hum of the refrigerator, the coffee-maker’s ding, a thousand little sounds that added up until Arthur could barely think clearly, never mind relax. 

He longed for the sounds of horses clattered across the courtyard, swords ringing as the knights trained, geese squawking as they were herded to market. The babble of a brook or leaves rustling in the woods. 

Or the hush of a night sky filled with stars. 

But every time Merlin came home to him, all the noise of a modern age melted away. 

At first, Arthur thought it was magic. Merlin was, after all, a sorcerer. Perhaps he enchanted the world to bend to his will, to create a bubble of quiet for Arthur’s sake. 

Then Arthur realized the truth. It wasn’t quieter. 

But with Merlin’s smile, with his insults and their banter and so many things that reminded him of a long-ago Camelot, Arthur didn’t need to shut out all the noise. 

He just needed Merlin to remind him that Arthur was not alone in a world gone irretrievably mad. That he was cherished and desired and that Merlin would be with him, always. 

And that made everything all right.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; It and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
